𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝚆𝙰𝚁𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙾𝙿𝚃 𝙾𝚄𝚃

[unjustifiable]

THIS PAGE CONTAINS STORY SPOILERS FOR SILENT HILL 2.

The following topics are present in James' history and may come up in interactions with him.
Terminal illness, death of a spouse, domestic violence, depression, alcoholism, caregiver burnout, dissociative amnesia, suicidal ideation.

The following topics are present in Silent Hill 2 but do not directly involve James.
CSA, incestuous abuse, institutional medical abuse, fatphobia/fatshaming, animal cruelty.

MARY: I told you I wanted to die, James. I wanted the pain to end.
JAMES: That's why I did it, honey. I just couldn't watch you suffer.
JAMES: ...
JAMES: No. That's not true. You also said that you didn't want to die. The truth is… I hated you. I wanted you out of the way. I wanted my life back.

For the sake of clarity and because I don't want to blindside anyone: James murdered his wife.

The game doesn't specify whether or not the act was premeditated, but it's fairly straightforward in conveying that James grew increasingly depressed, hopeless, and resentful during the three years between Mary's terminal diagnosis and her death. After killing Mary, James took her body to Silent Hill with the intention of committing suicide there. Shortly before his arrival in Silent Hill at the beginning of the game, he suffered a mental breakdown and repressed his memories of the murder. He spends much of the game's story in deep denial, but he's fully aware of what he's done at the canon point I typically play from.

The actual wife-murdering is unlikely to come up in most threads (for obvious reasons), but James' resulting guilt and self-loathing bleed into nearly all of his interactions with others. He also struggles with suicidal ideation, and his behavior reflects that. I'll always strive to treat these topics with the sensitivity they warrant, but I understand if people prefer to avoid them.

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